Monday, September 13, 2004

The Sheraton on Harbor Island Drive is in a very central location. Downtown San Diego, Sea World, Mission Bay, and the bridge to Coronado Island are all less than 15 minutes away to drive. We never really had to rush to be anywhere.
After sleeping in a little bit on Saturday, my g/f and I headed over to a nearby Denny’s. It was the best food we ate on the trip so far. Scary. The deli we patronized in Old Town on Friday was simply OK. It was priced too high for being just OK. Friday night, the food at the restaurant at Bahia Hotel was all over cooked. Fortunately, our culinary experience improved later.

Sea World
When we approached Sea World, it turned out to be a lot smaller than we imagined. When we entered the park grounds, we found that trying to get to the parking lot is like meandering down a class 1 river for 2 miles. It seemed like forever before we ended up at designated parking area.
We arrived just before the first Shamu show started, so we headed right over to the stadium, which is near the gate. The Shamu show was the highest quality that I’ve ever seen for an animal show. The three older Killer Whales gave spirited performances. The stunts were plentiful and thrilling. Even “Baby Shamu” performed well. As a bonus, the Splash Zone is huge (the first 16 rows of the audience do get wet). My g/f and I both enjoyed this show a lot. I think she used up a whole roll of film just on the Killer Whales! :)
The Dolphin show was also very engaging. Although the stunts aren’t the most impressive I’ve seen for a Dolphin show, the Sea World show was very seasoned.
Sea World also has many walk through exhibits. You’ll see Manatees, Beluga Whales, a Polar Bear, many types of fish, Penguins, etc. Sea World displays each of the animals in simulated natural environments. This is prolly great for the animals. I know it is great for the guests because there is nothing quite like walking into the chilly Penguin habitat on a hot muggy day, such as that Saturday.
If you come on a hot day, bring your swim trunks/bathing suit, sit in the Splash Zones and get on the wet rides.
Sea World is a high quality, clean and well organized theme park that packs a big punch for its small size.

Evening
For the evening, we had a wonderful dining experience at the Indigo Grill in the Little Italy part of Downtown San Diego. For the first time, we had a great meal in San Diego. I recommend this establishment. After dinner, we wondered around the Gaslamp Quarter. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs. Many of the shops are open very late. The Gaslamp Quarter is a large area; so expect to do a lot of walking if you want to see it all. At the end of the night, back in the hotel room, I think we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.